Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22581 lets users switch from Dev to Beta Channel for a limited time

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22581 has been released to the Dev and Beta channels simultaneously. If you want to switch from the developer channel to the beta channel without reinstalling Windows from scratch, now is the time to do so.

1. Open the Settings app and navigate to the Windows Update page using the sidebar.

2. Go to the Windows Insider Program section.

3. Click on “Choose your internal settings”.

4. Select the Beta Channel.

This limited time window is rare, it will end when a higher version is released on the Dev Channel. For reference, Microsoft generally releases a new version once a week. So when the next version is released, you won’t be able to switch channels without a clean install of Windows.

Why should you choose the Beta Channel?

Microsoft recently announced that it will use the Dev Channel as a testing ground for experimental features that may or may not make it to the final release, based on user feedback. While that may be a compelling reason to try it out, running the Dev Channel build on your main PC is not a good idea as it can be unstable and buggy. It’s best to test Dev builds on a spare computer or virtual machine. The Beta Channel is more stable and therefore suitable for everyday use.

What’s new in Windows 11 build 22581

The tablet-optimized taskbar, which was introduced in build 22563 for select users, is now available to all users in the latest build. This feature is not available on non-touchscreen devices, i.e. laptops and PCs.

Drag and drop on the taskbar now supports auto-hidden taskbars. Microsoft fixed the top edge that was cut off near the system tray, now it extends along the taskbar. You can no longer drag the icons displayed in the system tray to rearrange their order. There is a new option available in Settings > Personalization > Taskbar, which you can toggle to disable the “Hidden Icons Menu”, which will remove the caret icon from the system tray area.

The start menu should not flicker when using the search box on it. File Explorer context menu displays icons correctly. Using the Group By option in the folder view menu will not cause the file manager to crash. Folders that only contain other folders (and no files), will display a paper folder icon (Medium or Larger Icons), to indicate that the parent directory is not empty, i.e. there is other content inside.

Known issues in Windows 11 Build 22581 appear to be similar to the previous build, so you may want to read the Release Notes for more details.

Search Highlights wasn’t available to me before, but now it works on build 22581. But since the release notes don’t mention it, it’s probably still being A/B tested, or maybe rolling out to more regions with the Windows 10 update from yesterday.

The new Open With dialog has not been added back in the new Windows 11 preview build, per Microsoft’s earlier announcement, it will return in a future release. Tabs in File Explorer unofficially returned in KB5013192 (22579.100), which was released yesterday. Build 22581 has removed the feature again.

Are you going to switch to the Beta Channel or stick to the Developer Channel builds?

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